From farm to table in under 100 metres. That’s exactly how Margan Wines runs their hatted restaurant. Here’s much more about this gorgeous hunter Valley winery – its wines, its chefs, its food as well as its philosophy.

I question which came first. have Australia’s red wine regions always been gorgeous or do the vineyards produce their own beauty? possibly both.

Perhaps it’s the two contrasting beauties of those accurate blocks of renowned parallel lines mixed with a lacework filigree of rivers as well as streams rolled out across verdant hills.

Either way, the hunter Valley as well as its assortment of remarkable wineries that gather around the sharp brinks of the damaged Back mountain variety produce an idyllic scene.

Margan Wines – the farm within a farm within a world-class winery

Lisa as well as Andrew Margan started their eponymous red wine estate in 1996. however Margan Wines is only the bit of the iceberg we can see. A college romance, a life in France as well as numerous vintages with other famed hunter Valley wineries have brought Lisa as well as Andrew to this point.

That as well as a enthusiasm for agriculture, hospitality as well as the environment.

And these three pillars that the Margans have developed their world on show so clearly from the moment you turn into the tree-lined drive of their estate.

From farm to kitchen

As your eye leads along the rows as well as rows of twiggy grapevines with their sentinel increased bushes standing guard, you notice a plot set aside.

Instead of the purchased regiments of Semillon, Chardonnay, Barbera as well as Merlot is a battalion of disparate troops – a misfit army going about its day.

Within the compound, chickens march around their parade ground scattered with low citrus trees while lines of snow peas as well as silverbeet hold formation nearby.

Barracked in a long arched greenhouse, seedlings as well as micro-herbs stand by prepared for deployment to the restaurant kitchens.

This fracture team is Margan’s garden – a farm in miniature really.

You can take a trip of this interesting aspect of the winery to see numerous of the components that will go into the exquisite dishes of the restaurant. They’re dishes that have earned Margan a hat from the great Food guide as well as numerous other accolades besides.

The farm is likewise an essential part of Lisa as well as Andrew’s continuous campaign to be really carbon neutral. low food miles goes a long method to that aim.

From scale to tail

We went to Margan Wines as part of the hunter Valley red wine as well as Food celebration – a month-long event that runs every winter season throughout June.

So after our trip of the kitchen area garden, we headed inside the stylish yet friendly walls of the winery, as well as with big studded doors.

This is the personal tasting as well as function room, lined with red wine barrels as well as special vintages. however we weren’t there for a tasting or a wedding.

Before us was a long table set with a stove as well as cooking paraphernalia, as well as the friendly yet somehow imposing deal with of Joey Ingram, Margan’s head chef.

Chef Joey was right here to show us the art of breaking down a whole salmon as well as utilizing every part of it. Demonstrating years of skills discovered from such institutions as Tetsuya’s. Joey made the whole process look extremely easy.

He likewise showed us exactly how to produce a home-smoker to impart flavour into the fish as well as explained exactly how whatever – even the small muscles as well as scraps left between the ribs of the salmon skeleton – can be extracted as well as utilized to remarkable effect.

But finest of all was the understanding that the loin of salmon he smoked in front of us would comprise a part of our degustation lunch to come.

Lunch at Margan Wines

Feeling suitably informed (and somewhat awed), we made our method to the cellar door’s quite veranda as well as our table for lunch.

The yard spread out in front of us as well as the hectare or so of the kitchen area garden beyond embellished with statues, hedges as well as olive trees, we might have quickly been in Provence or Tuscany.

However, looming in the background, the craggy deal with of Yellow rock viewed our meal. part of the Yellomundee regional Park, this lookout as well as its connection to the damaged Back variety is an essential part of the the hunter Valley landscape.

But at this extremely moment not as essential as our tasty food.

This five-course degustation began with a bowl of stracciatella cheese, grilled pumpkin, kale as well as black olive oil. This was pared with the crisp stylish Margan Ceres hill Chardonnay.

Next was hand-rolled gnocchi, pancetta, Swiss chard as well as beurre noisette with the winery’s traditional Fordwich hill Semillon.

We were thrilled by the next dish, which we’d seen chef Joey begin: coins of smoked beauty salon loinwith yacon, celery as well as parsley. It was so tasty as well as oddly pleasing to feel like we were somehow part of the dish’s creation. This came with a glass of Ceres hill Albarino – a range from the Iberian peninsula that’s acquiring a great deal of popularity in the Hunter.

Our last savoury meal was a incredibly tender duck breast with witlof, beetroot as well as parsnip, served with a Ceres hill Barbera.

Finally as well as truly showing the kitchen’s artistry, a dessert of ashed brie mousse, pear sorbet as well as poached quince each shaped into ideal quenelles. The young Botrytis Semillon was completely matched with this dish.

As we relished the last few drops in our red wine glasses, there was a sense of deep complete satisfaction as we looked out over the bit garden, understanding that many of what we’d just eaten had come from this spot.

Even the fish comes from the close-by coasts of Newcastle as well as Port Stephens, as well as only from providers that fish fairly for non-scarce species.

One of the (many) satisfying moments of going to a winery’s cellar door is being able to look out at the vines as well as understand that’s where your glass of red wine comes from.

Just believe of exactly how much much more satisfying it is to be able to see where your food came from too.

Margan – winery, restaurant as well as kitchen area garden

1238 Milbrodale Road,
Broke NSW

The degustation as well as trip of the kitchen area garden can be booked directly with Margan Wines all year round.

However, the whole experience, including the scale to Tail cooking masterclass with chef Joey Ingham, is only offered during the hunter Valley red wine as well as Food Festival.

We went to Margan Wines as media guests with hunter Valley red wine Country.